


Barely Breathing

by Geekygirl24



Series: Tracy Family [4]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Biological Warfare, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4134357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geekygirl24/pseuds/Geekygirl24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Biological warfare is one of the most dangerous things International Rescue has ever faced...especially as they lost on of their own to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey Johnny?” John glanced up from his book to mock glare at his brother,

“Don’t call me Johnny, Gordon…what is it?” Gordon bounded up to the chair in which John was curled up in and sat on the arm,

“So, I have an essay to write and I was wondering-“Gordon stopped in his tracks as John held up a hand,

“I am not writing your essay for you…wait, you don’t go to school anymore, why are you writing an essay?” Gordon flushed, causing John to raise a curious eyebrow.

“Well, there’s this girl…well, woman technically. We’ve chatted online and I may have made out that I’m an FBI agent…in the terrorism department.” John winced in sympathy,

“O man, you are in deep. How did you even come up with that?!”

“Well, we’re sort of like the FBI…and there’s not a department for natural disasters so I just said the first thing that popped into my mind!” John tried, o god did he try…but he couldn’t help it. He began to chuckle, which then evolved slowly into a full-body laugh. His book shaking in his hands as Gordon scowled,

“I need your help John, come on!” John nodded as he tried to get his breathing back under control,

“Okay, okay. What do you need?”

“Google has been my friend but I don’t understand a lot of the terminology….help?” 

“Send me the essay…or whatever it is and I’ll un-Wikipedia it for you. Make it flow better, like you actually understand the topic. Happy?” Gordon nodded gleefully, throwing his arms around John who tensed for just a second before slowly relaxing into the hug.

“O thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

In the doorway of the main living room, Jeff watched and smiled at the pair. This wouldn’t be the first time Gordon had employed John’s help and nor would it be the last. After all, Gordon was known as being quite the ladies’ man, and as he mostly met them over the internet, he was always coming up with new cover stories in order to protect International Rescue. Most of the time, he ended up over his head, and therefore one of his brothers’ would be dragged in to help with the lie.

……………Later in the evening……………….

“Yes, I am in tonight!” yelled Gordon, throwing one hand up in the air as he carefully balanced his laptop on his lap with the other. Scott and Virgil frowned in confusion, glancing at John who just shook his head and mouthed ‘new girlfriend’ at them. They nodded in understanding, smirking at Gordon who remained oblivious to the silent conversation.

“Dare I ask how my hard work went?” Gordon grinned,

“She loved it. Apparently she’s a biologist, looking to go into the FBI terrorism department. Biological warfare is a major interest to her. That essay only made her like my brain as well as my looks, well…” Gordon gestured to John, “….she likes Johns’ brain which was only enhanced by my good looks.” The family chuckled,

“You know John…” chuckled Scott, “…if you weren’t asexual, you’d be giving Gordon a run for his money.” Virgil nodded,

“He’d be giving us all a run for our money!” Jeff kept a cautious eye on John throughout this conversation. John was often uncomfortable talking about his sexuality, possibly due to the fact that his brothers’ were quite popular with their peers, all of them having had several relationships already. As far as Jeff knew, John hadn’t had any, preferring a life of solitude.

“Yeah, I have the brains…but not the looks” The rest of the family narrowed their eyes in concern as John refused to look at any of them. Jeff opened his mouth to try and contradict his son, but before he could, Alan’s portrait eyes began to flash signalling a call. 

“Go ahead Alan” answered Jeff as he pressed a button on his desk. A hologram of Alan popped up,

“There seems to be an issue in Boston. The fire department are having trouble containing a major fire in a set of office buildings. Usually this wouldn’t be a problem except, there are over a hundred people who can’t get out…and there’s been a terrorist threat aimed at that particular building, with the leader demanding that the children of the leaders of the world be handed over effective immediately…or they’ll release a new biological virus into the building” The family sat there in shock of Alan’s words,

“Please tell me that the police are buying us enough time to get all of this sorted out?” Jeff asked. Alan turned away for a few moments, before nodding.

“Yeah, the leader of the FBI is the one that called us. Apparently he’s negotiating with a lady who calls herself…Lady Anthrax?” Jeff nodded, 

“Alan, would you be able to track the activities of the pseudonym Lady Anthrax? Possibly on blogging sites that focus on biological warfare?” Alan nodded,

“Already started. She appears to be quite active on the website Disease Assassins.com, no I’m not making that up. It focuses on airborne viruses such as anthrax….for a few weeks now, she’s been boasting about a new revolutionary virus that kills in a matter of minutes.” Alan grimaced, “It’s been tested on cats according to this one post…” Gordon frowned,

“How is she threatening to spread it if the demands aren’t met?”

“Through the air conditioning….” They all turned to stare at John who was staring into space, “…in an office building like that, air con is everywhere….it could be spread throughout the whole building without blocking a few filters.” Gordon frowned,

“You mentioned that…in the essay” John shrugged,

“With enough knowledge of air filter systems and airborne viruses, anyone could work it out” Jeff nodded,

“Suit up boys. I want everyone out today. Virgil, you take John and Gordon in Thunderbird 2 with Pod 3, specifically the Firefly and the Fire Truck as back up. Scott, I want you to scout ahead and canvas the area, see whether or not we can get those people out without the terrorists noticing.” They all nodded before rushing off to their respective vehicles. Jeff paused before rushing off after Scott,

“Scott! I’m coming with you. We’ll need everyone available if this rescue is to go off without too many casualties.”

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Please leave a comment :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews. A few people have commented on John’s asexuality and why I wrote him that way. I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t really know, he seems to prefer solitude in the newest series and I can’t see him with a partner if I’m honest. I have a friend who is a lot like John and he’s asexual so he advised me to write this John that way. 
> 
> Please read and review :)

Scott and Jeff arrived at the scene half an hour before Thunderbird 2. Before leaving Thunderbird 1, they made sure to put their oxygen masks on. The main reason being for protection and the other is that they make great disguises.

“What’s the situation?” asked Jeff as they strode up to the FBI agent in charge, Special Agent Neil Matthis. The man turned away from a nearby tech analysis and sighed wearily,

“It’s not good. The terrorists are threatening to release the virus through the air con system if we don’t deliver the children of the world leaders to the front door of the building or if we attempt to enter the building personally.” He glanced at the pair, “I know our Director called you, but I was wondering what you plan to do? I mean, without entering the building, it’s very hard to get the hostages out. They’re on the 7th floor and the 6 below it are at various stages of burning. The fire department are trying their best, but they’re getting nowhere fast.” Jeff nodded,

“Thank you. We have a secondary vehicle that should be arriving in a few minutes that has specialised equipment. Hopefully this should deal with the fire more efficiently. Is there a deadline to when the terrorists expect their demands to be met?”

“Twenty three hundred hours” It was four pm now. Jeff turned to Scott,

“Has Thunderbird Five sent the building plans to you?” Scott quickly checked his wrist communicator and nodded as he scanned the plans,

“It appears as though there is a fire exit at the east side of the building. Very few security cameras which could work to our advantage. The stairs are in relatively good condition, so getting up them shouldn’t be an issue. My only concern is-“

“Whether or not the terrorists have it guarded…” finished Jeff. At that moment, Thunderbird 2 arrived on the scene, quickly deploying the Firefly, which was driven by Gordon. As it went to try and combat the fire, Virgil and John exited the aircraft and joined Jeff and Scott.

“What’s the plan…Sir?” asked Virgil. Jeff quickly explained the situation to him, however, before they could make an effective plan, a voice came over the radio.

“Aah, International Rescue…” cooed a feminine voice, “…I was wondering if you would be joining my little party.” All attention was on the radio. “Whilst I admit all of this wouldn’t be possible without the help of an outside source, this virus was all my doing. Blondie…” Everyone turned to stare at the nearest blonde person…there were quite a few, “…no…the blonde International rescue agent…” Now all attention was on John, “….at the borders of the barricade separating the public from the uniformed hotties, there is a box. Go and get it” With that, the radio went silent.

John glanced at his Dad who gave a slight nod. Slowly he walked to the barricade and spotted a lone cardboard box. Picking it up, he carefully brought it back, trying not to jostle whatever was inside it too much…just in case. A scientist, clad entirely in a protective suit, carefully sliced the box open in a see-through containment tent and brought out a cat-shaped mass.

“It’s a cat….wrapped closely in bin bags from the looks of it…” observed the scientist, “…probably for their own protection. I’ll place it in a glass box just in case, and these holes will allow us to draw blood from the animal. Hopefully a vaccine can be developed from it.” The agents outside of the tent nodded,

“You don’t mind if I bring in one of my own scientists do you?” asked Jeff. Agent Matthis shook his head despite the lead scientist’s protests. Jeff walked away, probably to contact Lady P and ask her to pick up Brains from the island. Scott decided to radio Gordon and ask how the fire was going.

“We seem to be getting somewhere…” grunted Gordon, “….the problem seems to be further in the building so I may have to get closer.”

“Negative Gordon” ordered Scott, “We have no idea how this Lady Anthrax will react to that. Give us few minutes, maybe we’ll be able to work out a plan of attack”

“FAB Scott” After Gordon signed off, Scott sighed.

“We need to get those people out of there. Virgil, any ideas?” Virgil pursed his lips in thought,

“We’ll need a distraction…maybe, if she lets Gordon get closer with the Firefly then we’ll be able to enter through the east side fire exit and lead the people out?” 

“Surely it’s too much of a risk!” exclaimed John, “If they even catch wind of what we’re doing then they’ll release the virus. You heard her, she seemed like she had no guilt about what she was doing!” Scott sighed and shook his head,

“It may be our only option. Those people are in danger and we need to get them out as soon as possible…Sir, what do you think?” John couldn’t help but smirk at Scott’s military training coming back into play. He knew that they had to be careful not to reveal their identities, but sometimes John expected Scott to start saluting. They all turned to face their Dad who had just finished his call,

“Relay the main plan to me…” he asked and Virgil obliged. Afterwards, Jeff thought for a few moments before gesturing at his second oldest,

“Virgil’s right. A distraction is exactly what we need right now. If this woman allows the Firefly to get closer in order to help put out the fire, all of her attention will be diverted in that direction, hopefully giving us enough time to get to the fire exit and get those people out. With our oxygen masks, it’s clear that the people go first and us last due to the protection that we have.” He gestured to his ear,

“Lady Penelope is on her way to pick Brains up, they should be here in the next hour so long as Parker doesn’t obey the sky traffic laws.” The group nodded and made their way back to the main control area where Agent Matthis was waiting for them.

“So what do we do?” 

“See if you can get back in contact with Lady Anthrax. We need to get in that building, so one of my agents will get closer with the Firefly whilst the rest of us make our way to the fire exit and try to get the people out of the building without alerting the terrorists.” Agent Matthis nodded,

“I can certainly try…” he walked over to the radio and attempted to call the office building, “Ma’am, this is Special Agent Matthis. We were wondering if you would allow the International Rescue vehicle, Firefly, closer to the building in order for us to properly deal with the fire….after all, if the fire continues to burn, then you’ll lose your leverage and possibly your lives” The radio was silent for a few minutes before the female voice answered,

“….What makes you think we’re even in the building?”

“You’ve threatened to release the virus enough times. We assumed you would actually be in the building to do so”

“….Fine…but only the Firefly. And if we see any other agents, FBI or otherwise near the building, I won’t hesitate to release the virus.”

“I understand. Thank you very much for your cooperation” There was a huffing noise before the radio cut out. Jeff sighed before holding up his wrist communicator

“We need to move quickly. Firefly, you are free to move forward. Thunderbird 5, is there any way you can put the security cameras in that exit and the floor with the people on a loop?”

“Negative Sir…” came Alan’s voice from the communicator, “…it’s a little out of my technical knowledge. Maybe Thunderbird 3 can do it?” Here, Alan was referring to John, who shrugged at the inquiring look his Father gave him.

“I can try…” he brought out his handheld laptop pad and began tapping away at it frantically, “…if I can bypass the main security walls of the office’s camera systems, then putting it on a loop should be easy….hopefully” Jeff nodded, though Agent Matthis still looked confused. After a few minutes John glanced up from the pad and grinned,

“I’m in, we should be clear from here on out…as long as there aren’t any guards of course”

“My team has a few oxygen masks for emergencies, I’ll send a few armed men in with you just in case you run into trouble. Is that okay with you?” asked Agent Matthis. Jeff nodded in agreement. 

It was time.

“Remain behind us Sirs” ordered the lead agent on the SWAT team, “Once we have determined that there are no threats, you can go forward. Agreed?” Jeff, Scott, John and Virgil nodded. As the team headed up the fire exit, John noticed an agent hanging behind.

“Is everything okay?” The agent flinched, startled by John’s sudden presence.

“M-my oxygen tank…” he stammered, “…it’s almost empty and we don’t have any left. Without an extra member on the SWAT team, there’s a blind spot. I can’t not go in!” John nodded in understanding, pausing for a moment, before removing his own mask.

“W-what are you doing?!” the agent yelped as John’s own oxygen mask was shoved into his hands.

“Take yours off…” ordered John, “…and then put mine on. It’s got plenty in it, so you should be fine for a few hours.”

“But what about you?” asked the agent, as they switched masks, “If you put that one on, then the chance of you being exposed to the virus increases!” John shrugged,

“If everything goes to plan, then the virus might not even be released…” he grinned as the pair quickly caught up to the others, “….I’ll be fine”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to thank everyone who left a review, I love reading them :) . There have been a few comments on the formatting, so I’m going to try some things others have suggested. If it’s worse, let me know :)
> 
> Please read and Review

Jeff glanced back at his boys as they entered the building. The SWAT team hadn’t spotted any guards up here, but Jeff was still concerned. For all he knew, he was walking his sons into a trap.

He glanced at the lead agent, “Anything?”

The man shook his head, “No….the main entrance to the room where the people are being held is just up ahead.” He waved his hand as a signal for his team to move forward, however, before they could enter the room there was a hailstorm of bullets that tore through the SWAT team, splattering blood all over the walls. 

Jeff pressed an arm against his nearest son, Scott, in order to keep him from rushing to their aid, “Stay back!” he yelled as his sons cried out in shock. 

Once it was all over, and the sound of the bullets stopped, Jeff couldn’t help but wince at the sight. Blood was splattered all over the walls, bodies were in twisted positons on the blood soaked floor and lifeless eyes stared up at Jeff and his family.

John stared at the carnage, “D-Dad?!”

Jeff shook his head, “Stay where you are…we can’t do anything to help them now”

The group waited there for a few minutes in complete silence. Footsteps then began to echo throughout the hallway, until there were four armed men in front of them.

The leader aimed the gun at them, “Follow us”

It seemed as though Scott and Virgil were about to refuse, but a sharp nod from Jeff stopped them. Jeff glanced at the men before nodding,

“Okay, we’ll do as you say…just please stop waving that gun around” 

The leader stood there in silence before gesturing for them to follow him. Jeff and his sons were led into a separate room, where one of the walls was glass. Jeff could vaguely make out the shape of another individual. The doors slammed behind them, the guards remaining outside.

The figure behind the glass chuckled, “International Rescue…so nice of you to join me! I hope you don’t mind if I stay behind here, safety precautions and all.” 

Jeff glanced around the room, soon realising that there was no way out apart from the main entrance, which was probably still guarded. He scowled at the figure behind the glass, “Well here we are….what do you want?!”

“I’ve already said what I want. With the children of the leaders of the world in my hands, I can ask for anything, hell!” She giggled, “I could be queen if I really wanted!”

Scott growled and moved forward, “You’re not getting one solitary child…there is no deal…” Jeff placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and pushed him back behind him.

He sighed, “Don’t you understand? At this very moment, my eye in the skies is analysing your every move to find out who you really are. Once we do, we will stop you through any means necessary…even if we have to target those you love”

The figure was silent for a few minutes, before she sighed softly, “If you insist upon refusing…then I have no choice but to retaliate.” Virgil span around as he heard the door lock, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. Standing a distance away from the group was John, who was staring at his oxygen levels,

Virgil moved closer, “John…John what is it?” he whispered.

John looked up at his older brother, before looking back down at the gauge. Virgil’s eyes followed and he gasped in disbelief…empty.

He grabbed John by the arms and shook him, “What did you do?!”

John smiled sadly, “One of the agents’ tanks was running low…so we swapped. I never thought it would come to this…”

Virgil shook his head, “How could someone so smart be so stupid!”

Back over with Jeff and Scott, Jeff was yelling at the figure. “What did you do?!”

The figure sniggered at Jeff’s anger, “You clearly wanted a demonstration of what this virus can do. I have released it into the room where the hostages are being kept…and into the room you’re in.”

Scott ran forward again, “It’ll do nothing to us, we’re wearing masks….but as for those people in the other room…stop what you are doing and I promise not to blow a hole in that glass wall. If they die…you die.”

The figure laughed, “With what weapon cutie? International Rescue are known for not carrying any serious weaponry…especially none that could damage this wall.”

Jeff began to plead with the figure, “Please, you’ve made your point! Stop this so that we can talk! You will gain nothing by killing those people”

“It’s not only them I will kill…”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about everyone on your team having a working oxygen mask…”

Scott and Jeff glanced at each other before spinning around to see Virgil alternatively pounding on the door and holding John.

Virgil noticed them and started to yell, “We’ve got to get John out of here!”

Jeff moved forward, shaking his head as if he didn’t want to hear the next part, “W-why…what’s wrong?”

“John swapped masks with one of the SWAT team…and it’s ran out of oxygen!” answered Virgil.

Jeff grabbed John and pulled him closer, “Maybe if I hold my breath and give you my mask-“  
“...It’s too late, I’ve already been exposed to the virus…there’s no point in infecting yourself for a lost cause!” interrupted John, as tears began to stream down his face. Jeff found himself unable to speak. This couldn’t be happening…not to his family.

Scott span around to face the figure again, tears also falling from his eyes, “There’s got to be an antidote!” He begged the figure.

She just laughed at their pain, “What happened to all of that bravado International Rescue?”

Jeff let go of John to spin around and scream at the figure, “I TAKE IT ALL BACK, JUST PLEASE! NOT HIM!” Scott and Virgil also let go of John to beg….without this added support, John felt himself fall to the ground.

Jeff heard the thud, soon joining John on the floor in order to pull him over to lie on his lap, “No, no, no, no, no John…..” he sobbed as John began to wheeze with each breath, “Please…stay with us Johnny.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Agent Matthis frowned as his snipers of the building reported that the hostages were beginning to convulse, falling to the ground as they weakly banged on the windows. 

They were dying.

There had also been no word from the SWAT team in quite a while…this concerned him. He noticed that the IR agent who had been tackling the fire was joining him and his group.

The IR agent stopped when he saw the frustration on Matthis’s face, “What? What’s happening?”

Matthis quickly explained the situation to him, feeling more and more sorry for the IR agent, who looked as though his whole world was ending. The IR agent shook his head, “They’ll have it under control...They’re probably confronting the terrorist as we speak….excuse me will you?” 

Matthis watched the agent walk over a very nervous man wearing large blue spectacles. He then led the new arrival over to the containment area where the cat was being prepared. The pair didn’t even blink an eye at the pink car that sped away from the scene. Matthis shook his head, he was probably better off not asking.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Inside the building, Jeff was hugging John close to him, tears filling his eyes. Scott and Virgil weren’t doing much better. 

Jeff gently stroked back John’s fringe which was soaked with sweat, a feverish flush painting John’s cheeks a dull red, “This is all my fault…” he whispered.

John shook his head weakly, “No it’s not…” he coughed out, a smile appearing on his face as Virgil tapped him lightly on the cheek, 

“Save your breath Johnny…” ordered Virgil softly.

John made a vague movement with his eyes, which Virgil realised was his way of rolling them whilst he was so weak, “Smother Hen Junior…” John whispered.

John glanced back up at his Father as he coughed, blood ripping out of the side of his mouth, “Love…you…”

Jeff gently shook him when it appeared as though John was going to lose consciousness, “Don’t! Don’t you dare! You are not dying, so I don’t want to hear any last words! Stay awake Johnny!” 

Startled awake, John tried to focus on his family, especially on his Dad. “Hey…” he whispered, “…don’t shut them out…they’ll need you now more than ever.” He glanced at Scott and Virgil, despite Virgil’s protests that he should save his breath, “You two…need to look after Alan and Gordon…and each other, please!”

Scott nodded as tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably, “We will John…we will I promise! Just...please don't leave us!”

John chuckled weakly, “No you won’t…not at first. Just be there for each other, okay?” 

Virgil nodded, “Okay Johnny, we will…but you’ve got to promise us that you’ll just stay awake!”

John smiled, his eyes slipping shut as his head fell back. His chest movements slowed down until there was nothing.

Jeff shook him, “John…Johnny?!” 

Virgil desperately pressed his fingers against John’s neck…nothing. “I can’t feel anything!” he yelled, grabbing John’s wrist as if the result would change.

Scott shook his head as he gently pulled Virgil’s wrist away. “He’s gone Virgie…he’s gone.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alan collapsed when he heard the news. The sheer pain in Scott’s voice only confirmed his story. John was dead…and Dad was practically catatonic. And what he had on Lady Anthrax only made the situation worse. He radioed Gordon, choking back a sob as his brother answered, his hologram popping up.

“Hello Thunderbird 5, what’s up? The fire has been sorted if you were wondering…have you heard anything from Dad and that lot? Only there are people dying in that building and there is no sign of them. They’re not responding to my calls….wait, what’s wrong?” Gordon paused in his rambling at the look on Alan’s face.

Alan quickly wiped away the tears and sobbed, “Johnny’s dead…”

Gordon stared at Alan’s hologram in shock, “W-what?!” he exclaimed, “H-how, they all had oxygen masks!”

“John swapped with one of the SWAT team, who had low oxygen levels on his…the oxygen was gone when Lady Anthrax released the virus.”

Gordon shook his head in denial, “No…he can’t be dead!”

Alan winced at the sorrow in Gordon’s voice, “Dad’s not left him alone since it happened….”

Gordon glanced back at Agent Matthis, who had ordered reinforcements and was now ordering them into the building. One to fetch the bodies and place them in containment body bags, and secondly, to arrest the terrorist and her followers. Scientific equipment had been sent into the building with International Rescue, and the readings showed that there were no traces of the virus in the air…not that it really mattered any more. The death toll was in the hundreds.

Gordon looked back at Alan who was still looking as if he wanted to say something. “What…what is it? It can’t be any worse than what you’ve already told me!”

Alan sighed, “I looked back over Lady Anthrax’s history. She’s very popular on certain websites…one of which is a private chat room.”

Gordon shrugged, “And?”

“Well…she has a name. It wasn’t easy to find, but with enough digging and a little bit of-“

“Alan, just tell me!”

Alan lowered his head, “Her real name is Jeanette Patterson…she was communicating with an anonymous man, who thankfully is now untraceable…because he gave her an essay on how best to spread a virus…Gordon I-“ Alan paused. 

Gordon had collapsed onto his knees and had begun to sob uncontrollably into his free hand, “O god! It was me! I killed Johnny! I fell for a pretty face and gave her the keys to mass murder! O god, Johnny I’m so sorry!”


	4. Chapter 4

I feel like I’ve broken some hearts with the last chapter…I am very sorry :(. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

Please Read and Review.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Agent Matthis sighed wearily to himself as he watched the parade of bodies leave the office buildings. Red bag after red bag was moved into a separate containment tent. He tried to look away from the scene, but he soon found that the scene to his right was even more distressing. On the floor was one of the IR agents, who was weakly sobbing into his hands, the voice of the operative Thunderbird 5 trying to comfort him.

Agent Matthis shook his head. The news that one of the IR agents had died in the building had shocked the FBI and the rescue services. They had always believed that International Rescue was untouchable. They couldn’t be killed! He watched the final bag leave the building, closely followed by two of the IR agents who were supporting the lead agent between them. They were quickly joined by the other IR agent.

Matthis rubbed the bridge of his nose as International Rescue joined them, “I-I’m sorry for your loss…” he muttered as the lead IR agent was helped to a seat. 

One of the other agents (Thunderbird One perhaps), glanced at him sadly before nodding his thanks. The operatives with the codenames Thunderbird Two and Thunderbird Four couldn’t keep their eyes off the red bag that held their colleague. 

Matthis, not wanting to intrude any longer, crept away from the small group and decided to make his way into the first containment tent where the scientists were working on the cat.

He paused at the entrance, “Any progress?” he asked.

The IR scientist flinched, “W-well, we’ve d-drawn up some –blood and D-doctor Wells is analysing it as w-we speak…”

Doctor Wells nodded, “There is definitely a foreign agent in its blood, but….” He paused, “…I can’t determine how the virus affected the cat to the point where it died! I’ll have to perform an autopsy in order to fully understand how it…and the rest of the victims died. Hopefully, we can develop an inoculation for the virus…or at least a suitable treatment.”

Agent Matthis nodded, however, before he could say anything there was a heart-breaking wail from outside the tent. 

Doctor Well’s eyes widened, “I didn’t know that the family of the victims had been notified already?”

Matthis shook his head, “They haven’t…not yet. I believe that may be the lead agent of International Rescue.”

The IR scientist jumped to attention, “W-what happened?”

“One of the IR agents was exposed to the virus inside the building during the rescue attempt.”

“W-which one?”

“The blonde one? I’m afraid I don’t know his name….”

The scientist bowed his head in grief as another wail was heard. Realising that he could no good here, he made his way out of the tent just in time to see Jeanette Patterson being dragged out of the office buildings. She was kicking and screaming as she was dragged into a high security FBI van. 

Glancing over at the IR group, he noticed that three of the agents were holding back the lead one as he fought against their grip, cursing and shouting at the woman. “YOU BITCH! LET ME GO. LET ME GO! YOU KILLED HIM, YOU KILLED HIM!”

Matthis wanted to move away, but knew that if he didn’t try and get the lead agent of IR under control, then they could have another murder on their hands. He moved closer to the group, “Sirs? Would you mind joining me…away from here?” TB1 glanced at him and nodded his head as he, TB2 and TB4 attempted to drag their boss away.

With all three of them pulling at the IR commander’s arms, they were able to pull him in a separate tent where the tech analysts were just clearing up after themselves. The man, once again, collapse to the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to control his tears. Matthis stared at the man suspiciously. He had grieved for lost colleagues before but not to this level…was there something more he was missing?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It only took a few minutes but once he got everything under control, Jeff pushed himself of the ground and glanced at Agent Matthis, “I know you have to examine the b-bodies…but please, let me see him before…you know. And please let us take him home!”

Agent Matthis nodded slowly, “Have you informed is parents yet?” Scott and Virgil glanced at each other as their Father winced.

Jeff nodded, “They’re aware of the situation…painfully so.”

Matthis nodded, “I understand. We’ll see what the Doctor says, and then you should be able to take him home.”

The group remained in the tent for what seemed like days, but in reality, it was only hours. Scott and Virgil began to pace the floor as Gordon comforted their Dad. Jeff, in the meantime, was staring at the floor, his thoughts clearly elsewhere as the clock ticked.

Suddenly, Brains burst into the tent, “S-sir! Sir! You’ve g-got to come and s-see this!” The group glanced at each other before tearing after Brains as he ran out of the tent and back to where Doctor Wells and Brains were studying the cat.

Doctor Wells span around as they entered the tent, “Aah, Agent Matthis and International Rescue…I’m sorry about your loss but hopefully what I have to tell you will cheer you up.”

Matthis and Jeff frowned in confusion, “What do you mean?” asked Jeff wearily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Well…” began Doctor Wells, “…the cat wasn’t killed by the virus. O sure, it did some serious damage on the lungs and even seemed to slow the heart down to a point where it was undetectable for something up to a few hours. But, it didn’t kill it. No, it died of a broken neck, which was then re-set so no-one would notice.”

Matthis shook his head, “Wait…so the virus doesn’t kill?!”

“No, it only gives the appearance of death for a certain amount of time. Probably to insure that the victims would be presumed dead and possibly buried. I doubt that Lady Anthrax even knew this judging by her attitude over the phone. She was too willing to release and if she knew that it doesn’t kill, then her attitude would have been different. A follower probably killed the cat in order not to ruin Jeanette’s delusion of world domination.”

Matthis urgently spoke into his handheld communicator, ordering that the victims remain where they are and that no-one was to touch them. Jeff, Scott, Virgil and Gordon just stood there in shock.

Jeff felt more tears fall down his face, “S-so…he might not be dead?”

Doctor Wells and Brains nodded eagerly, “There is a chance…” answered Wells, “…of course our findings could be wrong.” 

Suddenly, an agent came running into the tent and frantically pointed outside, “S-sir, one of the body bags started moving. Nichols opened it and one of the vics just popped out of it!” 

Jeff, Scott, Virgil and Gordon raced to where the bodies were being kept, to find a scene straight out of an old school zombie movie. People were being unzipped from the bags as they slowly began to wake up, their faces confused as they glanced around…probably wondering why heaven looked like this.

Jeff’s eyes focused on the nearest body bag which was beginning to twitch. Racing over, he quickly unzipped it to find his son. John was clearly starting to wake up as he eyes moved beneath his eyelids.

Jeff bent over his son, “Johnny? Come on Johnny, you can do it!” Scott and Virgil soon joined him, encouraging John to wake up. Gordon was in the corner, radioing Alan to let him know the good news.

Slowly John’s eyes began to open and he blinked blearily up at his family, “Dad?” he whispered.

Jeff nodded as he helped his son out of the bag, “Yeah, yeah it’s me Johnny…” he whispered, pulling his son into a hug, “…I’m so glad you’re okay!” John tensed up for a moment before slowly returning the hug. 

However, once Scott, Virgil, Gordon and a holographic Alan joined in, he tensed again, “Ummmm guys…sucking the air right of my personal space here!” 

They all let go of him, with the exception of Jeff who moved one hand to John’s shoulder and the other to his face, covering his eyes. “P-please don’t joke about something like that….not after I watched you practically choke to death in my arms.”

John looked around, noticing the distressed looks on his brothers’ faces. “Alright…” he whispered as he was helped to his feet by Scott, “…I promise.”

…………Epilogue……………

All in all, everything turned out fine. All of the victims eventually woke up and were reunited with their families. John was taken back to Tracy Island so that he could spend some time in the med-bay…which was driving him nuts.

John placed another finished book (Wheel of Time: Eye of the World by Robert Jordan) on the ever-growing pile, “Can I leave yet? There is no sign of the virus in my bloodstream and my breathing is getting so much better! I promise I won’t exert myself, I’ll just sit quietly in the living room!”

Alan (who had switched Thunderbird 5 onto automatic so that he could spend time with his family) laughed at John, who was beginning to pout. “Sorry John, but breaking Dad’s orders is like breaking the law….and prison is my room. You’ll just have to stay put!”

John sighed as Alan left, promising to fetch him more books. “This is what I get for being a nice person.” Staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t help but smile. International Rescue had learnt three things during the course of this mission. One, biological warfare was something to be avoided at all costs if possible. Two, swapping oxygen tanks with a none IR member was now forbidden and three….all of Gordon’s prospective partners were to be investigated…for everyone’s safety.


End file.
